Benefits
by Ceylonna
Summary: Kaoru considers a ‘friends with benefits’ relationship. Kenshin has something else in mind.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** Kaoru considers a 'friends with benefits' relationship. Kenshin has something else in mind.

**Disclaimer:** All standard disclaimers apply: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, I make no money off this work, etc. Characters of Rurouni Kenshin are the property of Nobuhiro Watsuk.

**Warning:** This work contains adult material, specifically sex. Some chapters will likely be censored to meet guide lines; in that case the uncensored version will be posted on mediaminer under the same pen name.

**Author's Note:** This story is completely written; it's about 40 pages in Word. I'll be posting the chapters as I edit them. If you notice any frequent errors, please let me know so that I can correct such things in future chapters. As always, reviews are appreciated.

&&&&&&&&&&

**Benefits**

&&&&&&&&&&

Kaoru eyed the club warily as they waited in line and sighed, tugging at the short top that Misao had forced on her. At least she had managed to keep her jeans instead of that atrociously bright mini skirt Misao had picked out.

"Come on Kaoru. You look great – the skirt would have shown off your legs more, but the jeans do nice things for your ass. You'll have no problems picking up a guy tonight," Misao commented.

Kaoru glared. Hard. "That's precisely why I didn't want to come. I'm not looking for a guy and I don't want to spend the even fending off the bumbling advances of half drunken males who can't seem to understand that 'fuck off' does not mean 'I'd love a drink."

Misao compressed her lips, then drew a deep breath. " It's been over three months since you and Enishi broke up. That's more than enough time. You need to get back in the saddle again."

"Look, Misao. I know you mean well. And I'm not heartbroken over the break up – lord knows it was far beyond time for that miserable excuse of a relationship to end. But I'm happy being single right now. I like having my own space, my own time, not having to deal with crap. I'm just not interested in entering a relationship. More than that, I'm not willing to put in the sort of effort it takes to establish a real connection with someone."

Misao turned toward her. "Who said anything about a relationship? I was talking about sex. Getting laid will do you a world of good. I'm sure you can find someone to meet your needs -- hell most guys will view the 'no relationship' bit as a bonus."

Kaoru choked, but long experience with Misao kept her from turning bright red. "First off, I really don't feel comfortable with casual sex, as you know. Second, I can meet my own 'needs' quite well myself, thank you for asking," Kaoru replied, trying to keep the edge out of her voice.

Misao stared at her wide eyed. "Was Enishi that bad in bed that you really don't remember what you're missing? Because there are few thing better in life than a nice hard fuck from a hot guy."

This time Kaoru felt her face burn. Then she straighten her shoulders, held her head high and entered the club. Just as she passed the bouncer she called to Misao, "I've always thought that if you need a man to do it for you, you must be doing something wrong."

Misao's screech, silence, then a rambling, incoherent attempt at a comeback followed her in. Thankfully, Misao had dropped the topic by the time they reached a table containing a few of their friends.

The evening went well. Kaoru successfully fended of a few drunken pickup attempts, no doubt aided by the strong glares of mutual friends. She got to dance a bunch, both with friends and friends of friends who could be trusted to understand that dancing was not an invitation to grope her in the hallway.

Sano's dancing skills had still not improved, so Kaoru was happy to release him to go back to his drinking. Cho was much better, but quickly left to pursue someone who caught his eye. Her favorite partner was Katamari, who could definitely put on the moves, even if he enjoyed watching the guys watching her dance a bit more than he enjoyed dancing with her.

She danced with a few others, not quite remembering them all. There was a Ken-something who was noted mainly for his red hair and ability to keep other guys away, unlike Anji. Anji's peaceful demeanor seemed to encourage other guys to cut in, and his spiritual leanings meant his dancing was so chaste it seemed uptight. But overall it had been a good night and she'd probably go dancing again with this group.

&&&&&

They had indeed gone dancing again. In fact the somewhat random assortment of friends-of-friends seemed to coalesce into a somewhat regular crowd. They added Tae, a friend of Anji's, and her friend Megumi who Sano was trying to court. But they lost Cho who got a job in a different city.

Today most of the group was assembled for a barbeque farewell for Misao, who was leaving in two weeks. She had always wanted to travel through Europe and sample its delights – both culturally and physically. She had found a magazine, that while not covering her expenses, would at least buy any stories she wrote about her experiences. Seeing that as a way to live her dream and make use of her degree in journalism, Misao was ecstatic. She planned to spend the next year or so traveling through Europe.

As they sat around the table munching chips and waiting for Kenshin to finish grilling the burgers, the topic turned towards sex. Actually it started out about Misao's trip, which brought up her sexual expectations for her endeavor. But over time the conversation seemed to keep returning to some aspect of sex. The current debate was that of 'friends with benefits'.

Sano, of course, was all for anything that would get him laid more often. Misao's approach was the opposite.

"While I don't see anything wrong with sleeping with friends, it just seems like a waste. There are so many options out there you could be sampling, why take the edge off your game?" Misao commented.

Megumi sniffed. "Friends with benefits is just a way for a guy to get into your pants without fully committing. I don't put out and I certainly don't give it away for free. I'm not easy."

Katamari laughed. "I doubt anything with you is cheap or easy. I, on the other hand, am very easy. And I've slept with friends before. A friends with benefits opportunity is a nice way to keep the libido satisfied without the emotional drama of a relationship."

"I don't know," Kaoru replied, biting her lip. "It seems like sex could mess up the friendship and make things awkward."

Kenshin looked up, removing the burgers from the grill. "It doesn't have to be that way, with good communication and honesty…," he said, placing the burgers at the table. The remaining conversation was lost amidst the scramble for food.

&&&&&


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** All standard disclaimers apply: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, I make no money off this work, etc. Characters of Rurouni Kenshin are the property of Nobuhiro Watsuk.

**Warning:** This work contains adult material, specifically sex. Some chapters will likely be censored to meet guide lines; in that case the uncensored version will be posted on mediaminer under the same pen name.

&&&&&&&&&&

She was lonely, Kaoru admitted to herself. Misao had been in Europe for almost three months. While regular emails and occasional phone calls kept them in touch, it wasn't the same as seeing your best friend almost every day. She missed having someone there to confide in. Although Tae had proved to be a warm friend and fun person to hangout with, the friendship lacked the depth of confidence that she had with Misao.

She really wished she had someone to talk her out of this idea. (Though Misao would probably have said go for it). While Megumi would definitely lecture her on the matter, her biting cynicism and uptight manner grated on Kaoru's nerves. Talking to Megumi would just give her a tension headache without actually solving her dilemma.

Kaoru supposed that she could email Misao, but she wasn't sure she wanted to commit this plan to writing. Besides, she had the feeling that any email she sent Misao regarding sex might one day resurface at an embarrassing time.

The problem was her sex life, or lack of it, really. While she could meet her physical 'needs', as she had assured Misao, it just wasn't as satisfying of late. She missed the kissing, the cuddling, the physical connection of the act itself. A few too many nights had been spent silently crying, either before or after the deed, before Kaoru had admitted to herself she wanted a man in her life.

Well, a man in her sex life anyway. Some contemplative nights affirmed her belief that she just wasn't interested in making a go at a relationship. She didn't want to have to dress up to try and attract some guy. She didn't want to share her life long dreams or listen to his political rants. She wasn't willing to spend an afternoon watching football with him and she wasn't going to change her habits to suit his pet peeves.

She wanted a friend she could fuck. No more, no less. Someone she knew, liked, enjoyed hanging out with, but not someone she had to impress. Someone she could appreciate physically and sexually, who wouldn't mind holding her for a bit after the act.

The question of course, was who. Sano was currently out of town and had been for weeks. Some website had sponsored him on the Poker Tour – no way Sano would pass up getting paid to gamble. He was losing as always, but he did so in such a spectacular fashion that the company received a lot of publicity. More importantly, she wasn't the least attracted to him and believed that sex would definitely mess up their sibling like friendship in addition to ruining whatever he was developing with Megumi.

Anji was also easily nixed, both due to his personal beliefs and his physical appearance. Kaoru preferred shorter guys. While she was sure that if she was a guy, Katamari would be happy to assist her, that wasn't an option in this lifetime. Continuing through her mental list of male friends and acquaintances, Kaoru cut the smokers, the gossips, and others who did nothing for her.

Her remaining list was quite short. The most promising option was Kenshin. They knew each other well enough to be friends, but weren't so close that Kaoru feared ruining a lifelong friendship if things didn't work out. His comments at the barbeque seemed to imply he might be open to a friends with benefits arrangement. The times they danced together suggested good physical compatibility and she found him sexy to boot. In all he seemed like an excellent choice.

Now she just had to ask him.

Which led her to her current situation. On the way to the party Kaoru had debated with herself if she really was going to propose a friends with benefits option to Kenshin. She wasn't sure if she should be thankful he attended tonight or not. But she still had to figure out a way to discuss it with him. She had watched him most of the night, his red hair making him easy to pick out. They had already talked a few times. Once Kaoru had lost her nerve. Another time they were interrupted. And most of the time they just didn't have any privacy. She need to find a way to speak to him alone, without making it obvious to everyone just what she wanted from him.

Kenshin looked up to find Kaoru staring at him. Again. It was obvious she wanted something from him. He had struck up a number of conversation with her tonight, but she still hadn't said whatever she needed to. He hope it was something simple – perhaps she needed a gym partner? They did use the same gym after all.

He was afraid it was some sort of bad news, given how nervous she seemed. With most of her close friends gone, she had seemed lonely lately. He would like to help her if he could. Glancing briefly around the room, he picked up his drink, and with her eyes upon him, slipped out on to the small balcony.

Kaoru watched Kenshin slide through the door to the empty balcony. She really wouldn't get a better opportunity than this. Steeling herself, she tossed down the rest of her drink, set her cup on the end table, and unobtrusively entered the balcony and closed the door behind her.

Kenshin looked up when she came out. Leaning with his back against the railing he smiled and greeted her.

"Hi," Kaoru replied, grabbing the railing and looking out over the city.

Silence fell for a few moments as Kenshin waited patiently for her to share what was on her mind. Kaoru's hands clench the railing tightly and she took a few deep breaths. Quenching her internal debated and forcing down a blush, she turned slightly away from him and stared at the lights in the distance.

"I've been thinking about what you said at Misao's party…," Kaoru began, wincing a little as her voice sounded loud to her ears. At least it didn't waver, even if her voice did sound a bit strained.

She hear Kenshin shift behind her as she forced herself to continue, "about how it's possible for a friends with benefits relationship to work out." She felt herself starting to choke. "And… I was wondering… I mean if you're interested… that is I like you and thought… ummm…" Kaoru cursed herself as she fumbled with a way to ask him and felt the heat of a deep blush on her cheeks.

She was so preoccupied with her own embarrassment and frantically trying to say something coherent that she completely missed his approach until his hands closed on the railing on each side of her. She started. With his breath hot on her ear and his voice low and deep, he murmured, "Your place or mine?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** All standard disclaimers apply: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, I make no money off this work, etc. Characters of Rurouni Kenshin are the property of Nobuhiro Watsuk.

**Warning:** This work contains adult material, specifically sex. This chapter has been briefly CENSORED to be fanfiction . net 's guidelines. The uncut version is available at mediaminer . org (Same title and penname.)

&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Kaoru rested her head against the steering wheel. She had been sitting outside her apartment for almost five minutes now. She had invited Kenshin over. For sex. And he had agreed. God, what had she gotten herself into. Part of her wanted to brush it off as a joke and hide herself in her room. The other part desperately wanted to be held and kept bringing up memories of seeing Kenshin shirtless at the gym.

He was probably waiting at her door already. He had discreetly left the party soon after they exited the balcony, telling her he had an errand to run and would meet her at her place. She had spent the next ten minutes saying her goodbyes and eyeing the alcohol. If she hadn't been driving home, she'd have downed another drink. Or two.

Looking up she saw someone approaching her car and tensed. Sighing she relaxed when she recognized Kenshin, his hair giving him away. He had a plastic bag in hand and a small grin on his face. Mentally composing herself, she forced a smile and left her car.

"Hey. Hope you weren't waiting to long," she said locking her door and leading him towards her apartment.

"No, just got here a bit ago. Wasn't sure where to park, but I think I found a space that should be okay." Kenshin replied, watching her unlock her apartment door.

"So umm this is it." Kaoru said, ushering him in and turning on the lights. "Let me give you the quick tour," she continued while slipping off her shoes. "Down the hallway is my bedroom, the bathroom is the first door on the right. As you can see, in front of you is the living room, and to the left is what passes for a kitchen."

Kenshin nodded and headed towards the kitchen, setting the plastic bag on the counter. "Where do you keep your mugs?" he asked.

"Huh?" Kaoru replied, following him. "They're above the microwave. Why?"

Grabbing two mugs, Kenshin filled them with water. "Instant cocoa. Clearly not as good as the real thing, but quick, easy, and good enough for our purposes." He started the microwave and opened the plastic bag.

Kaoru wrinkled her brow. "Um… I like cocoa and all, but what does that have to do with sex?"

Kenshin removed the cocoa box from the bag and opened it before replying. "A benefits relationship requires honesty and communication to work. I propose a 'Cocoa Conversation' rule: while we are drinking cocoa, we will answer each other's questions openly and honestly. If you don't want to answer something, that's fine – just say so, don't hedge your answer or avoid the issue."

Kaoru bit her lip, but nodded.

"Relax," he said. "Nothing needs to happen tonight. In fact, nothing will happen tonight that you don't want." He emptied the cocoa packets into the now hot mugs and grabbed a spoon from the drawer she pointed to.

He sighed, stirring the mugs. "This works so much better when you add the hot water to the powder, but I think I got it mixed well." Handing Kaoru a mug, Kenshin walked over to her couch and sat down. Dazedly, Kaoru followed him.

"Now," he said, turning towards her, "Questions." He smiled, raising an eyebrow.

His violet gaze distracted her for a moment. "I hadn't really thought that far….." She shifted uncomfortably.

"Kaoru. Relax. We're friends. Nobody will hear about anything we say or do tonight from me." He sipped his cocoa. " I'll get us started. Birth control."

Kaoru blinked, then relaxed slightly. She had a better feel for where this was going. Trust Kenshin to deal with those things she logically knew they should talk about, but really hadn't occurred to her in the awkwardness of the situation.

"Well I'm on the Nuvaring," she began. Noting Kenshin's puzzled looked, she quickly continued, "it's a plastic ring thats..um.. sitting inside me. Works just like the pill, but I only need to remember to change it once a month." Some of his confusion faded, but he looked ready to ask a question. She didn't want to explain that there were plenty of medical reasons for a woman to regulate her cycle other than simply birth control. She hurried on, blushing, "You shouldn't notice it during sex. It's soft and flexible and will just get ..er shoved to the side."

Kenshin nodded waiting to see if she had more to say. Kaoru fidgeted. "Umm.. that covers that, but ah.. I'm not sure how to ask this, but… protection?" She looked down at her mug and took a large gulp.

Looking at her, he took charge of the conversation again. "I was tested for STDs two months ago at my annual check up and was clean. I've been celibate since then. However, I'm willing to get retested and I'll use condoms until then."

"Ah. Good. Um I was tested a while back and everything was okay," Kaoru mumbled, biting her lip.

"I remember." Kenshin commented with a grin. Kaoru looked up startled. "I was there when Misao came back with both of your test results to show Megumi that just because she enjoyed sex didn't mean she was stupid about it. It was a rather loud conversation." He shrugged, blushing faintly.

"Most conversations with Misao are," Kaoru muttered under her breath.

Thinking frantically, Kaoru drank her cocoa. She was certain there was more she should be asking, but her mind kept blanking. Well not blanking, but that might be better than it's current obsession with how Kenshin would look nude. And heated looks he was giving her weren't helping. She swore she almost saw sparks in his eyes. Although her libido was nearly shouting, 'go for it', part of her was still hoping to extend the conversation so as to avoid potential embarrassment over the up coming activities.

"So, um, what's in this for you?" she blurted out, then drained the rest of her cocoa.

Kenshin looked at her and raised an eyebrow. Setting his empty mug on the coffee table he smirked, "since we seemed to be out of cocoa, that question will have to wait until next time, if you haven't figured it out by then."

Kaoru blushed faintly, tensed, then stood up and turned … to lead them to her bedroom, she supposed.

Kenshin rose as well, but instead of following her, he wrapped his arms around her and held her still, her back flush against his chest. He rubbed one hand up and down her thighs, while the fingers of his other hand caressed her neck and collar bone.

"Relax, Kaoru," he breathed near her ear. "You've been alone for a while and need some physical contact. I'm here to help." He nibbled at her neck, while his left hand slipped down over her breasts, which he squeezed gently before continuing down to her belly and slipping under her shirt. His right hand moved to stoke her inner thigh, his pressure firm over her jeans.

She could feel herself relaxing, and her ears were starting to buzz as his hand rose higher under her shirt while the other moved to rub her crotch. She had a faint wave of relief that she had decided to wear her thin lacy underwear set, before his fingers on her nipple distracted her. Her body felt hot.

She was so caught up in his ministrations and quick nips on her neck that she wasn't aware of him undoing her jeans until she felt his hand slide under her panties. She opened her mouth to say something – she wasn't sure what—but all that came out was a breathy moan.

His arms tightened around her, pulling her even closer. She could feel him, hard and hot, pressed against her back side. In between the nips and grazes on her neck and collarbone, he continued to urge her to relax and let him take care of her. ..

Kenshin held her lightly as she rested against him panting. Gently he extracted his hand and carefully refastened her jeans. He slipped his hand from her shirt as she regained her awareness. Looking at her flushed form, felt his control weakening. He really needed to find some way to calm down before he snapped and took her on the couch. He wanted this to be more than a one time thing, and if he rushed her she might panic and end it all.

She blinked up at him, her blue eyes still partly glazed with pleasure. "Ah… thank you, I guess. That doesn't really seem like an adequate response…. I guess ..I should..um.. return the favor."

He smiled, then turned trying to shake off the effects of her gaze, picked up the mugs. "Kaoru, think of that as a gift from one friend to another. You needed it," he replied, walking towards the kitchen. "We can do a mutual exchange some other time, if you're still interested."

Kaoru scrambled after him. "Now wait just one minute. Yes, I enjoyed that and all. Thank you. But the part of the purpose of your coming her tonight was to provide me with nice hard cock. Which still hasn't happened yet."

He turned from placing the mugs in the sink. "Since it seems like your definitely capable of that," she reached out to gentle squeeze the bulge in his jeans, "I don't think were done yet." She was slightly amazed at her boldness, but part of her was quite annoyed at the thought of not getting any. While her orgasm had been quite nice, it's quickness likely resulting from her pent up frustrations, and she was by no means sated. That interlude had served to spike her libido and further increase her desire for more penetrative activities.

Kenshin stared at her, his eyes seeming almost gold. Then he smirked. "Is that so? In that case why don't you whatever you need to do before bed and meet me in the bedroom." He said in clipped voice.

He reached for the plastic bag and pulled out a box of condoms. Kaoru stood paralyzed a moment watching him. "Unless you wanted to test out your kitchen table?" he added, quirking an eyebrow.

Kaoru squeaked and scurried to the bathroom. He grinned as he watcher her leave and then headed towards the bedroom. He planned to make tonight memorable enough that she would be happy to have him 'help' her more in the future. Many more times, if he had his way.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** All standard disclaimers apply: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, I make no money off this work, etc. Characters of Rurouni Kenshin are the property of Nobuhiro Watsuk.

**Warning:** This work contains adult material, specifically sex. Some chapters will likely be censored to meet fanfiction. net's guide lines; in that case the uncensored version will be posted on mediaminer under the same pen name.

**Author's Note:** Thanks to all my reviewers! For some reason ff. net is not mailing me the review like it's supposed to, so I was quite delighted to find them on the site. I tried to respond to them all, but if I missed anyone I'm sorry. I'll likely only respond to reviews with questions in the future, but I really do appreciate them all. To my mediaminer reviews, thank you! I haven't figured out how to respond to reviewers there, but your comments were appreciated. I've enabled anonymous reviews at ff – thanks for let me know it was turned off.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

That morning Kaoru awoke, feeling pleasantly relaxed and warm. She was slightly startled to sense another presence in the bed, when she remembered that Kenshin had spent the night. She felt a blush rising on her cheeks recalling just how he had spent last night.

A low rumbling had her eyes snapping open to see Kenshin's amused grin as he stared at her, he head propped up with a hand.

"Morning Kaoru," he said, moving his other hand to brush her hair behind her ear.

"Ah. Good morning Kenshin." Kaoru stuttered and then bit her lip trying to think of what to say to a friends-with-benefits lover the morning after.

Kenshin solved that problem for her by leaning in and murmuring, "Care for another round?" as his hand slipped over her breast.  
Figuring such activities would be far more pleasurable than an awkward conversation, Kaoru turned her head to meet his kiss.

Much later that morning she awoke to the sound of her shower running. With Kenshin occupied, Kaoru took a few moments to think about the past twelve hours.

She had sex.

With Kenshin.

Multiple times.

Just as friends.

And she wanted to do it again.

Hopefully this friends with benefits arrangement would really work out. Kenshin was great in bed. She wasn't quite sure how to bring up the idea of "hey let's do this every week" anymore than how she should ask "are you still going to be fucking other people?" Or even if she had a right to ask such things.

Hmmm… this benefits arrangement might be more complicated than she initially suspected.

Instead of facing the object of her concerns like an adult, Kaoru opted to dive in the bathroom as soon as Kenshin stepped out. She hoped a long hot shower would wash away all these new worries that kept popping into her head.

When she finally dared to leave the bathroom, she found Kenshin happily busy in her kitchen. He smiled and greeted her. "There's quiche Lorraine in the oven, which should be done in about twenty minutes. Now that you're here I'll start some water for cocoa."

Kaoru blinked and looked at him, confused. "Quiche? How did you manage to make quiche?"

Kenshin shrugged and went to wash dishes. "Quiche is basically just cream, eggs and cheese on a butter and flour crust. Not all that difficult. Nutmeg would have helped, but the ham and broccoli should add some flavor."

Not difficult. Right. The fact that he was a professional chef had nothing to do with it. Kaoru thought for a moment. She kept eggs on hand since Sano had given her that handy toast-and-egg maker for her birthday. The ham, cheese and butter were clearly from her sandwich supplies. She had just bought a carton of cream for her coffee, getting the larger size since it was on sale. The flour was probably left from when Tae came over and made cookies. Broccoli? Oh yes, the supply of frozen vegetables Megumi occasionally dropped off in an effort to improve her eating habits.

Kaoru stare at him. "Where ever did you find a pan? I'm pretty sure you can't make quiche on my pizza tray…."

Kenshin finished rinsing the dishes and went to make the cocoa with the now hot water. "There was a box of kitchen equipment in your cupboard. I used the whisk from there as well."

Kitchen equipment in her cupboard? Oh, right, she had agreed to store some Misao's things during her trip. Apparently the fact that she never cooked made it safe for Misao to leave the things here and expect to get them back on her return.

"Sit down." Kenshin nodded towards the table and placed a mug of cocoa in front of her chair. "We should talk some and we may as well get this out of the way while the quiche is baking."

Kaoru gulped and sat down, biting her lip. She knew they need to talk about things, but the didn't make it easy. She looked down into her mug, swirling the cocoa around.

Kenshin looked at her a sighed. "Kaoru, relax. We're friends. There is no right or wrong questions or answers in this discussion. It's a 'Cocoa Conversation', remember." He smiled slightly. "All that matters is honesty."

Kaoru nodded, some of the tension easing out of her shoulders. He was right, it wasn't as though they had a relationship for her to screw up. Of course, honesty didn't make things any less embarrassing. She took a sip of cocoa and then smiled. This questioning could go two ways.

"So Kenshin," she began. "Since you didn't answer this last night, what's in this for you?"

Kenshin shifted awkwardly. "You mean besides sex?"

Kaoru gave him a hard look. "Kenshin, you're a nice sexy guy. I've seen you at clubs. You'd have no trouble getting whichever girl you want in bed. So why me?"

Kenshin gave her an inscrutable look. "Why not you?" he asked, sipping his cocoa.

"Hey! You said that cocoa conversations were to be about honesty, no avoiding issues. Now answer up, bucko"

"Sorry." Kenshin winced. "You're right. And while I don't care to share all my reasons, you do deserve a bit of an explanation." He paused a moment and took a drink.

"As you know, my uncle Hiko is both wealth and influential." He continued, "In certain circles, I'm well known as his heir." He looked down and made a face. "This means that some women (and men) try to date me, in hopes of gaining money or favors."

Kaoru rested a hand on his arm in comfort. Before she could speak, he went on, "I really believe that sex should be about pleasure and sharing with your partner. Not about performing in bed so that you'll get a diamond bracelet or corporate merger. Prostitution isn't my thing. Good sex requires giving a bit of your self emotionally, and that's best done with a friend.

"While I've dated some women who aren't like that, most relationships seemed to end up with this 'cloud of marriage' hanging over them. As if the women are deferring presents now for the possibility of being Mrs. Himura later. And I've occasionally had to worry that they might intentionally try to get pregnant to force the issue." He drank some cocoa, as if to clear a bad taste from his mouth. "I've nothing against marriage, I just don't want to be pressured into it."

Kaoru nodded in understanding.

"So," Kenshin said, looking up at her. "You can see how a friends with benefits arrangement suits me. The question is, would you be willing to continue this?"

Kaoru blinked, surprised at the sudden turn in conversation. Blushing slightly she looked away. "Umm.. Yeah, I think I'd like that." Kenshin let out the breath he had been holding.

"But," Kaoru added, not quite sure how to voice her concern. "I…. Will you…" She shook her head, annoyed with her self. Then in a firm voice, if a bit rushed, she said, "I know you'll be dating people since this is strictly a benefits arrangement, but will you be fucking other people as well?" She immediately busied her self taking a drink of cocoa.

"How about this," Kenshin replied, "if I plan to, or end up sleeping with someone else, I let you know before we have sex again."

Kaoru relaxed and looked up at him with a smile.

"Of course, I expect the same courtesy from you," he added.

"No problem." Kaoru said. Not like she planned on dating anyone, much less sleeping with them, for a while anyway. As she finished her cocoa, the buzzer went off.

Kenshin rose to get the quiche, "Any other questions, or should we eat?"

Kaoru grinned. "I'll get the plates." Since they had agreed to continue their arrangement, she thought all other questions could wait. After all, it wasn't everyday she had a chef cooking for her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** All standard disclaimers apply: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, I make no money off this work, etc. Characters of Rurouni Kenshin are the property of Nobuhiro Watsuk.

**Warning:** This work contains references to adult material.

**Author's Note:** A few reviewers have asked about the uncensored version. To clarify, there was about a paragraph cut from chapter 3 to comply with fanfiction .net's guidelines. The uncut version of chapter 3 is available at www. mediaminer. org. Chapter 3 is the only chapter currently posted that has different versions between the sites. There is one upcoming chapter that contains a lemon, which will also be censored on ff .net. However, while this story is about sex, it is not bunch of sexual encounters. If you're looking for a story that's primarily sex scenes, this isn't the one for you. When I edit a chapter to meet ff's guidelines, I will explicitly note it in the warning section.

Here's a brief interlude. Enjoy!

&&&&&&&&&&&

That Thursday Kaoru was trying to decide what kind of frozen pizza to have for dinner when someone knocked on her door. Closing the freezer, she answer it to find Kenshin on her doorstep bearing take-out.

She let him in, somewhat relieved to see him. Despite their conversation on the weekend, she hadn't talked with him since then. She just couldn't phone him and say 'Hi, this is a booty call'. They had agreed to meet each others sexual needs, but she hadn't figured out how to bring those needs to his attention.

"Really, Kenshin there was no need to bring food over," Kaoru said, exasperated.

"Why, have you eaten already?"

Kaoru flushed. "No. But I'm not the kind of girl that sleeps with a guy just because he bought her dinner."

Kenshin grinned. "In that case, you owe me ten bucks. I hope you like Indian."

Kaoru licked her lips and went to get plates. She hadn't had Indian since Misao left. "When you put it that way, how can I refuse. The place Misao and I used to go to closed down a while back and I haven't found a nearby place to order from since then."

"Well this place is one of my favorites, but it's not near by. I was in uptown today helping at a soup kitchen and this place is on the way from there."

Serving her self some rice, she opened once of the cartons he had brought.

"That's saag paneer," Kenshin informed her. "A mildly spiced spinach dish with cubes of Indian cheese."

Kaoru grinned and spooned some on her plate. "Nothing with cheese can ever be bad. What else did you get?"

"Chicken Vindaloo, some somosas, and rice pudding for dessert." Kenshin replied.

"Mmm, yum! This is so much better than the frozen pizza I was about to make for dinner," Kaoru commented. "Hey, wait a minute…"

"Yes?" inquired Kenshin

"Shouldn't you be working?" Kaoru asked. "It's dinner time and you're a chef…"

"I have today off," Kenshin smiled.

"Lucky you. How did you managed to get a day off in the middle of the week?" Kaoru asked.

While they ate, Kenshin explained the peculiarities of his job. He was a chef at an exclusive bistro in the entertainment district. The owner ran the place as a way of networking with important people, not to make money. As a result, their hours were often erratic and they generally only served people with reservations. Apparently the owner felt that having limited hours made the customers feel more privileged to eat there. While Kenshin wasn't a fan of the snobbery that sometimes pervaded the atmosphere, the reasonable hours and decent pay allowed him to pursue his hobbies and volunteer activities more fully. And the specialty nature of the bistro meant he wasn't cooking the same thing each day.

After discussing his job, they talked about his afternoon, mutual friends, and other things as they finished dinner. Packing up the leftovers, Kenshin asked "Did you want to have cocoa?"

"No thanks, I couldn't fit another bite," Kaoru replied, not catching the implications of the question.

"Well in that case, I have something for you." Kenshin pulled a piece of paper out of his wallet and handed it to her. "The test results came back from my doctor today, and as you can see everything is normal."

Kaoru blinked, trying to process what he just handed her. "Oh, that was fast."

Kenshin shrugged, "Went in on Monday. Figured I might as well get it done with."

"Right."

"So what were you're plans for tonight, before I showed up to offer sex?" he inquired, smiling.

Kaoru bit her lip. "Eat dinner. Maybe watch some TV. Then go to the gym." She shrugged. "I didn't have much planned."

"Well, I'm happy to be your gym partner for this evening. And you bed partner later if you so desire."

Kaoru grinned. "You're on."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Kenshin proved to a good gym partner as well as a bed partner. Over the next few weeks, they established a semi-routine of meeting at the gym, working out, having dinner, and then a bedroom work out. By semi-routine Kaoru meant, they did it once a week, but the night changed from week to week depending on Kenshin's erratic schedule.

However, she often saw him two or three times a week. His appearance on her doorstop with take out was not completely out of place. And as much as she might like to complain about it, his taste in restaurants was excellent. He'd take her ten dollars if she offered, but never seemed to care if she forgot to pay him. Some nights he brought leftovers from the restaurant instead and she could appreciate just how fine a chef he was.

On the nights he showed up with food, Kenshin often seemed to have a movie in hand. At first Kaoru wondered what he was up to. But his responses to her cocoa interrogations were satisfactory -- watching a movie with a friend seems like a reasonable way to pass time, since he assumed she didn't want to go straight to bed? The next movie he brought over was a bit more explicit that his first few. He made a comment about getting her thoughts moving in the right direction. She laughed and enjoyed the evening, but let him know that she enjoyed action movies as well.

The movie nights were counter pointed with weekend activities. Kenshin casually invited her to go jogging in the park, shopping at the farmer's market, art exhibits, and other free social activities. Sometimes their friends joined them, but often it was just the two of them. The afternoons always ended at her place with a romp in the bedroom.

Kaoru wouldn't call them dates – they were just friends doing friendly activities – but that didn't stop Misao from commenting in her emails. Kaoru hadn't told her friend about the benefits arrangement she and Kenshin had worked out. But the occasional comments of "went to the museum with Kenshin" and such had peaked Misao suspicions. She thought Kaoru should try and snag him, since it seem to her that Kenshin was not only interested but also a good catch for Kaoru.

Kaoru, some what guiltily, told Misao that they were 'friends' and that she and Kenshin had even talked and agreed that theirs was a 'friends' relationship. She felt slightly bad deceiving Misao. She hadn't told her initially about the benefits arrangement, because if things didn't work out she didn't want Misao harping on her to go find a man. And now she certainly didn't want Misao to know she was sleeping with Kenshin as that would only further encourage Misao's matchmaking schemes. While Kenshin was a great guy, she didn't want a boyfriend right now.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** All standard disclaimers apply: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, I make no money off this work, etc. Characters of Rurouni Kenshin are the property of Nobuhiro Watsuk.

**Warning:** This work contains references to adult material.

**Author's Note:** Again, let me state that the ONLY difference between the mediaminer version and the fanfiction version is that the fanfiction . net version has one paragraph cut from Chapter 3 to meet guidelines. Everything else is the same, there are no 'missing' lemons. This is a story. There are references to sex and occasionally more graphic descriptions, but there is not a sex scene every chapter. If that's what you're looking for, you should read something else.

Thanks to my many reviews. Fanfiction .net finally started emailing the m to me again and it was lovely to have a boxful :-). Mediaminer reviews have been much appreciated as well, I wasn't sure if anyone actually read Rurouni Kenshin at that site.

These snippets probably should have been included in the last chapter, since that would have been one longer chapter instead of two short ones. Sorry. There's some longer passages coming up, however.

&&&&&&

Kaoru reluctantly paused the movie when she heard someone knock on the door. Figuring it must be Kenshin, she carefully navigated her way through piles of drying laundry to let him in. She took one look down at her faded, ripped tee-shirt and stained, rumpled pajama bottoms before opening the door.

Holding a half-eaten carton of cookie dough ice cream in one hand, she greeted him. "It's times like this I'm glad your not a boyfriend," she commented and headed back to the couch.

Taking in her messy hair and sticky face, Kenshin blinked. "Why is that?" he asked as he made his way to the kitchen, noting the clothes hung over the table and chairs.

"If we were dating I would have felt obligated to at least brush my hair and probably change my shirt. The drying laundry would no doubt require an explanation and an apology for messiness," Kaoru said as he entered the living room.

"Plus I'd be embarrassed to be caught eating ice cream from a carton and no doubt hear complaints over my movie choice."

Kenshin plopped down on the couch next to her, spoon in hand.

"Don't hog the ice cream," he said as he settled in to watch the rest of _Titanic_.

&&&&&&&&&

Kaoru sat at the table fidgeting. Kenshin was silently finishing making the instant cocoa. He hadn't said much since he arrived, and she didn't think that was a good sign. Something was definitely on his mind – hence the cocoa, no doubt. She bit her lip, worrying.

Kenshin came to the table and quietly handed her a mug. She took a sip and noted that he hadn't even tried to jazz it up with a bit of cinnamon or almond extract, which she had caught him doing at other times.

Kenshin clasp the mug tightly in his hand, tension evident through out his arms and shoulders. Kaoru waited. Finally he asked, "Are you pregnant?"

"What??!!" Kaoru yelped.

"Are you pregnant?" Kenshin repeated in a tight voice.

"No!"

His relief was apparent as he sat back and relaxed. "Thank God," he exhaled.

"Why would you think I'm pregnant? I'm on the Nuvaring, like I told you." Kaoru stated. "In fact, I'm sure you even felt it the other week when you did that nifty thing with your fingers…." She blushed.

The corner of Kenshin quirked up. "It's been over two months," he explained. "We've had sex at least once every week."

Kaoru looked at him blankly.

"You haven't had a period." He stated bluntly.

"Oh." Kaoru squirmed a bit in her seat. "See, um, with hormonal birth control there are ways to suppress a period. I don't care to menstruate that often and my doctor thought it would be a good idea. I tended to have one every three months or so. Sorry to have worried you." Kaoru blushed profusely.

"That explains it." Kenshin said nodding. He drank some cocoa and made a face. "This instant cocoa really lacks something."

"It's sweet. It's chocolate." Kaoru shrugged.

"There are better sweet and chocolate options. Come on, I'll buy you something better at the French bakery down the block. A walk would do me good."

Kenshin smirked. "And when we get back, perhaps I'll do the 'finger thing' again."

Kaoru was sure her face was flaming as she went to the door. While it was a shame to waste cocoa, he definitely made an offer she wasn't going to refuse.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** All standard disclaimers apply: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, I make no money off this work, etc. Characters of Rurouni Kenshin are the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki.

**Warning:** This work contains references to adult material.

**Author's Note:** I received a couple questions regarding using Nuvaring to suppress periods, so let me explain. With hormonal birth control methods (the pill, Nuvaring, or the patch), while certain hormone levels in your body are high enough (due to the medication) you don't get a period. When you stop taking it, the levels drop and you start to bleed and get what most people think of as a period. However this bleeding is actually artificially induced by the withdrawal of the hormones in the medication. Most birth control pill packs have three weeks of 'active' pills and then a week of 'fake' pills to give you a 'period'. There are now birth control pills on the market that will just let you skip some of these 'periods'.

For Nuvaring, I don't think it's officially approved to completely suppress periods, however doctors do prescribe it that way. The way Nuvaring normally works is that you put in the ring, wear it for three weeks, remove the ring for a week (which gives a 'period'), then put in a new one. If instead of removing it for a week, you immediately replace the old ring with a new ring, you generally won't get a period. A doctor can help determine how long you can wear the old ring before switching to the new ring—that is you wear the old one a little longer than 3 weeks before switching to the new one. If you wear the old one too long, it runs low on hormones and you will get a 'period'. The reason to wear the old ring longer than 3 weeks is mostly a financial reason – Buying a new ring every 3 weeks instead of every 4 can get expensive and some insurances only cover a certain number of rings a year.

There are many reasons why someone might want to skip these 'periods'. Suppression of menstruation is one way to treat medical problems like endometriosis, ovarian cysts, and menstrual disorders. In this story I don't really say why Kaoru is skipping them, since medical issues aren't really the point of the story. If you need a reason, assume she has very heavy periods.

Please note that I am not a doctor, so this explanation is based on my own understanding and experience. Your doctor can most likely explain this process better and you should contact him/her about it if you want more information.

&&&&&&&&&&

Kaoru was cold. And wet. And muddy.

They day had started out normal enough. They had sex and breakfast. Read the paper and planned out the day. Kenshin had suggested a jog through the park, since their trip to the gym last night had been abandoned due to a severe thunderstorm. Kaoru readily agreed, wanting both to get out of the house and to take advantage of the nice fall day.

Well, it had started out as a nice day, if a bit nippy. But jogging soon warmed her up, so she didn't really notice the sky becoming overcast and the temperature cooling a bit. She did notice the wind picking up, however. She enjoyed watching it toss around the fallen leaves until they wound up in some of the big puddles remaining from last night's downpour.

On the cool down walk home she really noticed just how cold it had gotten. Kenshin too, had commented on the change of weather. She could tell he was feeling it as well, since when she stopped to retie her shoe, he walked on a few paces before turning and shifting in place to keep warm while waiting for her.

It was then that the semi barreled down the street. She understood that the furniture store down the block did need deliveries, and no doubt the large semi was required for those things. But did it really need to splash the entire puddle of muddy water all over her?

Shocked and wet, Kaoru froze for a moment. Which of course was long enough for an SUV to spray up the remaining dirt, leaves, and runoff that the semi had failed to dump on her.

Kenshin, of course, had miraculously avoided getting wet, with just a few stray droplets visible on his magenta sweatshirt. She, however, was filthy and soaking wet. And getting quite cold, since the now waterlogged shirt she had been wearing seemed to encourage the wind to blow through it.

By the time they reached her apartment, Kaoru's teeth were chattering and she was definitely moody and snappish. As soon as they entered Kenshin shoved her toward the bathroom, saying "Go take a nice hot bath. Use some bubble bath and soak as long as you want. I'll have a hot lunch ready for us when you get out."

An hour or so later, completely clean and finally warm, Kaoru decided it was time to get out of the tub. She was tempted to stay a bit longer, but she had heard the oven timer beep and thought she smelled biscuits. Fresh, hot, biscuits with butter sounded divine, and the growling of her stomach no doubt indicated agreement.

Slipping into her bedroom, she turned to stare at her bed in shock. It was stripped completely bare, no sheet or pillowcase insight.

"Kenshin!"

He was at the door in no time.

"What happened to my bed?"

"I threw the bedding into the wash," he said, shrugging nonchalantly.

"You washed my sheets?" Kaoru asked, befuddled. "Why would you wash my sheets?"

"Well, they were in dire need of cleaning, especially after last nights activities, not to mention this morning…" He leered. "They're in the dryer now."

Kaoru blushed. "Well, yes, I understand that, but, still, you really didn't need to do laundry for me."

Kenshin smiled easily. "Don't worry about it. I find doing laundry relaxing. Besides I planned on getting them dirty later tonight. Now get dressed, there's homemade soup and buttermilk biscuits waiting for you in the kitchen."

'I have buttermilk?' she thought…

&&&&&&&&&&

Kaoru found time with Kenshin rather enjoyable. She had no qualms about arguing politics with him, dressing casually for their outings, or even telling him to go home because she wanted time to herself. The fact that he was a benefit and not a boyfriend freed her (at least in her mind) to speak her mind and be herself without having to worry about possible relationship repercussions. And since they were already sleeping together, it didn't feel like the sex question was hanging over their activities.

Tonight they had gone to the planetarium. Kenshin had received complimentary tickets from a patron at the bistro. While Kaoru had enjoyed looking at the stars, all the sitting had made her a bit restless, which was why they were currently walking along the boulevard in the cold night air.

Glancing around, Kaoru spotted a coffee shop still open and went in. Kenshin followed along contently. Before Kenshin could order, Kaoru spoke, "Two regular cocoas please, with extra whip cream on mine."

She looked at Kenshin. He quirked his brow and then spoke up, "Skim milk in mine, please."

He reached for his wallet, but Kaoru simply grinned and handed the cashier a ten. He looked for a minute that he was going to argue, but reluctantly let her pay. When the barista finished their order, Kaoru took their drinks to a secluded table.

They sipped their drinks in silence for a few moments. Then Kenshin spoke up. "What did you want to know?" he asked, faint lines surrounding his eyes and mouth.

"Nothing major," Kaoru replied and Kenshin relaxed slightly.

She bit her lip. "I've just been wondering…" She took a drink. "Why do we always end up at my place? I mean, is there a reason we never go to your apartment?"

Kenshin's shoulders rolled back and he smiled. "I just assumed you'd be more comfortable at your place. However, to show you that I don't have any skeletons at my place, let me take you there now. I'd be happy to have you spend the night." His eyes took on a laughing quality. "I even washed the sheets today, so you shouldn't have any complaints."

"Mou," Kaoru pouted.

Kenshin's apartment was fairly nice. Kaoru reluctantly admitted to herself that it was _slightly_ cleaner and better decorated than hers. The living room was much smaller, no doubt making up for the overly large kitchen, in her opinion. But she figured that being a chef gave Kenshin an excuse to have an excessive kitchen.

Kenshin's tour of the bedroom also included a demonstration of the bed. His sheets were indeed freshly washed, Kaoru noted, and satin as well. She was surprised at what a sensuous touch that added. By the time he had finished his… demonstration … the sheets were no longer clean and she was quite worn out. Curling herself around him she drifted off to sleep.

When morning came, Kaoru awoke disoriented, then confused, and finally panicked, before she remembered that it was Saturday morning and she was at Kenshin's place. Even still she felt awkward about it. Kenshin was clearly up, and from the sound of things, cooking breakfast. Kaoru bit her lip, somewhat unsure of what to do. Should she ask to use his shower? Maybe she should just go home, after all she need to brush her teeth and would like to have clean underwear…

As she went through the bedroom collecting her clothes from the myriad of places they ended up in, Kenshin knocked on the door.

"Morning. Breakfast will be ready in about twenty minutes. Feel free to take a shower. I set out a pair of my boxers, sweatpants, and a tee-shirt if you would like clean clothes. There's a toothbrush in the bathroom, if you want it."

"Ah, thanks." Kaoru replied, slightly overwhelmed. Spotting the clothes he had mentioned, she scooped them up and made a beeline for the bathroom. She saw a toothbrush sitting on the counter, still wrapped in its box. As she got ready for the day, she dwelt on the fact that Kenshin always seemed to bring this sort of stuff with him. It must be a bit of a hassle for him.

She certainly wasn't willing to give him closet space. After all, she had had boyfriends whom she hadn't given that privilege. Still something should be done. As she entered the kitchen, she spoke up.

"I prefer my place, I think. But I've decided you can have a shelf in the medicine cabinet if you'd like." She bit her lip and blushed, suddenly realizing just how abrupt that sounded.

Kenshin simply smiled and nodded. "Thank you."

"Breakfast," he added, gesturing to the table. Kaoru glanced at the table and grinned.

"Belgium Waffles! Yum. You so know how to feed a girl." She said, diving in.

&&&&&&&&&

Kaoru pushed back from the computer and stretched. She had just finished chatting with Misao, one of their first real conversations in ages. She felt somewhat guilty that she still hadn't told Misao about her arrangement with Kenshin. At first she wasn't sure if it would work out, then she didn't want to be teased. But by now, she really just didn't know how to mention that she had been sleeping with Kenshin for the past couple months. She figured that Kenshin would end it before Misao returned, so it wasn't something they needed to discuss.

Thankfully Misao didn't ask much about her love life, so there hadn't been any uncomfortable questions. Misao apparently was in a phase where she wasn't getting any sex, so she simply assumed Kaoru hadn't any opportunities either. While in Spain, she had met a tall, silent man named Aoshi. He was traveling around, visiting famous cathedrals, temples, ruins, and other areas to meditate in. Misao had decided to accompany him. Kaoru didn't know if he invited her along, or simply hadn't told her no, which Misao took as an invitation. Kaoru wasn't quite sure what the attraction was for Misao, but once Misao fixated on someone, it was very difficult to discourage her. Kaoru wondered if the man was gay, since according to Misao's rants, they had been traveling together for weeks and he hadn't made any sorts of move, nor even seemed to notice her advances.

After trying to encourage and support Misao in her endeavors, Kaoru updated her on their friends. Sano had finished the Poker Tour. He apparently made a bit of money off it, but it wasn't in evidence. Rumor had it that he lost most of at the roulette wheel. He did however, convince Megumi to date him, which personally Kaoru found astounding. Megumi had started pharmacy school and seemed to be enjoying it. Kaoru had managed not to say much about Kenshin, and Misao's time at an internet café ran out before she could ask. It had been great to chat with her, even if the time difference meant that she'd be short on sleep for work tomorrow.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** All standard disclaimers apply: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, I make no money off this work, etc. Characters of Rurouni Kenshin are the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki.

**Warning:** This work contains references to adult material.

**Author's Note:** Many thanks to all my reviewers. I was shocked to see I hit 35 reviews at fanfiction .net. I am very happy so many people like the story, I really didn't expect a lot of people to read it. We're almost 2/3 of the way through the story with this chapter. I'm hoping the timing of this chapter works okay. I'm always annoyed when authors have something like an hour pass during the course of a short conversation. I'm hoping the timing here feels somewhat natural.

&&&&&&&&&&&&

Kaoru opened the door one Saturday morning to find Kenshin standing there holding bags of groceries. She grabbed a bag and let him in, asking in an annoyed voice, "Why are you bringing groceries? I do keep food on hand."

"Kaoru, a freezer full of microwave dinners and a cupboard full of canned soup is not a well stocked pantry." He replied, bringing the remaining bags to the kitchen.

"Hey! I'll have you know those are gourmet dinners and soups. I shop at Trader Joe's even," Kaoru exclaimed, slightly outraged. "You really don't need to be buying me food."

"I've eaten breakfast here quite a few times in the last month, the least I can do is replace what I've eaten." He began to unpack the bags.

"Yes, and you've also brought over dinner a number of times as well. I'd call us even. I probably even owe you some."

"Besides there's a new recipe I wanted to try, so you can test it out for me," Kenshin replied calmly, ignoring Kaoru's irritation.

"I'm hardly a good judge of food, Kenshin. I'm sure you know more professional people than me to taste your creations."

"I thought you just claimed to have a 'gourmet' selection of food here, just a minute ago." His mouth quirked up into a teasing smile.

Kaoru frowned.

"Besides, this is a cassoulet recipe -- it cooks for hours. I'd rather spend it's cooking time doing something more … exciting, shall we say… than watching TV at home." Kenshin took a ceramic covered container from the bottom of one of his bags and set in on the counter. He turned to unpack the last bag.

"Cassoulet? What's that?"

"It's like a French casserole of beans, duck, and smoked sausage." He tapped his container. "I soaked the beans last night, so that should help things."

Kaoru groused. While it did sound tasty, she still wasn't sure she liked him grocery shopping for her. "Are you sure you can make it here? It's not like I have a bunch of kitchen equipment," she argued.

"I brought the container to cook it in, your frying pan will suffice, and the knives Misao left here are quite nice." Kenshin countered. "While I'd enjoy the conversation, you don't have to keep me company if you have other things to do."

Kaoru pouted, but couldn't seem to find any more objections to his activities. It had been a while since she had duck and her stomach would be quite annoyed at her for passing up this opportunity. More over, she had been a bit bored before his arrival, so it wasn't like he was interrupting her day.

Kenshin finished unpacking the last bag, pulling out a glass bottle of milk and two bars of high quality chocolate. "Now, I can make some real hot chocolate first, if you'd like."

Kaoru shook her head, got a glass from the cupboard and sat next to the counter to watch him. Pouring herself a glass of milk and unwrapping the chocolate, she said with a smile, "I'll just pretend. Valharona chocolate is much too good to make into cocoa."

Kenshin quirked his brow and shook his head, then turned the oven on and began to assemble the onions and garlic for chopping.

Once situated in his work, he said, "So I've been meaning to ask you. Why aren't you dating?"

Kaoru finished savoring a bit of chocolate and watched him move on to slicing the sausage before she answered. "It's really just not worth the trouble." She shrugged. "First you spend a bunch of effort trying to look nice and attract attention. Which generally results in inappropriate advances and awkward dates."

Kenshin nodded at her to continue, as he started cutting the duck.

"Now let's say you find one guy who's not a total loser or complete bastard. And miracle of miracles, you both like each other and have something in common. Where does that leave you? In a relationship, which is more work than dating and prone to even bigger problems." Kaoru shook her head and had some more chocolate. "Totally not worth it."

Kenshin got out a frying pan to brown the onions. "While I agree that the dating can be tedious and risky, I don't see what's so bad about a relationship."

Kaoru ate another bite of chocolate and drank some milk. "There are two types of relationship men," she began. "Well three, but I refuse to date a self-absorbed, arrogant prick." She sucked on a piece of chocolate.

She continued. "There's the kind that's looking for a traditional woman. The modern woman is a threat to him. He prefers someone who won't disagree with him, who wants to be taken care of, and who sees him as her hero. He'll insist doing things his way and doesn't know anything except the missionary position."

Kaoru forcefully bit off a large chunk of chocolate and paused to chew rather vigorously. Kenshin looked sympathetic. Beginning to brown the meat he asked, "And the second type?"

Kaoru took a sip of milk. "The second type fully supports the idea of an independent woman. So much so that he refuses to help carry heavy items, splits every check down to the last penny, and expects her to always take care of herself in bed." She ate another sweet morsel. "Like I said, relationships are not worth it."

"I think you might be over generalizing the situation a bit. Really, most relationships are not at either of those extremes."

Kaoru snorted and finished her milk. "They are in my experience," she mumbled.

Kenshin turned and gave her a searching look. As he poured her some more milk, he said encouragingly, "Tell me about it."

Kaoru bit her lip and looked away. Opening the other chocolate bar, she started to speak.

"During my second year of college, I dated a guy name Soujiro. It was my first real, adult relationship." She paused and nibbled at the chocolate.

"Go on," Kenshin said, as he took the duck out of the pan and moved to brown the sausage.

"Sou was a fun person to be around, always smiling. I felt like an independent, strong, modern woman around him. He always treated me like I knew what I was doing and that I could take care of myself. At first, what seemed like his confidence in me really boosted my self esteem. Made me believe in myself, you know." She took a bigger bite of chocolate.

"However, Sou's world view was very different from mine. He had this idea that 'only the strong survive' or something like that." She sipped her milk. "Looking back I can see how things like not holding open doors or letting me walk home alone at night were part of this attitude. It wasn't that he believed in my capabilities, more that helping someone was not in line with his principles. Sort of like, if I couldn't do it on my own, I deserved to fail. Social Darwinism at it's extreme."

Kenshin's jaw clenched. He wanted to say something, but he was really too annoyed at this 'Soujiro' guy's attitude to comment.

Kaoru pulled into herself a bit and had some more chocolate. Then, in a small, tight voice, she said "It came to a head at the beginning of fall term my junior year. I had caught the flu and was struggling with my classes. Sou was absolutely no help of course." She stopped and drank some milk. In a breaking voice, she went on, "Then my father died. He was a police officer. He got shot in a gang war, pulling some kids out of the line of fire." Her eyes filled with tears.

Kenshin turned off the stove and went to put an arm around her shoulders. She turned a buried her face into him. In a muffled voice, she continued, "I went to see Soujiro, sick and crying over my loss. He basically told me that it was my father's fault that he died. The he should have abandoned the kids or been strong enough to take a bullet to the head or something." She leaned against him crying for a bit and he stroked her hair for a few moments.

Then, pulling herself together she sat up. "Needless to say, that was the end of our relationship." She gulped down some milk and ate another square of chocolate. Kenshin returned cooking. They sat quietly for a bit, she watched as him rinse the beans.

While Kenshin opened a can of tomato paste to add to dish, Kaoru thought for a moment. She spoke, this time in a more normal voice. "In the winter of my senior year I began a new relationship. Enishi was quite different from Sou. He always walked me to my door, drove us places, carried my books. He really seemed to care about me and want to take care of me." She swirled her milk around and took a drink, as he added the meat and onions to the pot.

"After we had been dating a while, I learned that his sister had been killed when he was young. Witnessing that trauma was part of what made him so protective – he really didn't want anything to happen to me." She licked some chocolate off her lips and observed Kenshin measuring out the spices.

"Unfortunately, he was also somewhat obsessed with her. His sister had been the quiet, proper type, and he seemed to want or expect that from me. As our relationship went on, he tried to confine me more and more. Encouraging me to stay home, 'for my safety', limiting my contact with 'inappropriate friends', chastising me for working out, getting upset if I spoke up." Kaoru paused and watched him top off the cassoulet with bread crumbs.

Kenshin looked up encouraging her to continue, as he started wiping down the counters. "One day after sneaking back home from an outing with Misao, I realized how tired I was of keeping my opinions to myself and trying to act like a 'proper young lady'. I found him waiting at my place, upset that I wasn't home. We had quite the fight, where I yelled and stomped and said exactly what was on my mind. By the end of our argument I had made it quite clear to him that I was never going to be a replica of his sister, nor did I want to be."

She had a piece of chocolate and while Kenshin put the dish in the oven. Shrugging she said, "I was happy to see him go."

Kenshin set the timer and looked at her. He smiled at the chocolate streak across her cheek. "I imagine you were. Despite you're experience, however, there are some decent men in this world."

"Perhaps," she said looking away and shoving the last square of chocolate in her mouth. "But they don't date girls like me."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." Kenshin eyed her chocolate covered fingers with a smile. "So is any of the chocolate for me?" He walked over to her.

Looking down at the empty wrappers, Kaoru flushed and bit her lip. "Um.."

Kenshin grinned. "Never mind I've found some." He proceeded to hold her hand and gently suck the chocolate off her finger. Kaoru looked at him with wide eyes as he put the next digit in his mouth and swirled his tongue around it. When he had finished with her fingers, he then moved to the chocolate streak on her face.

Licking the last of the chocolate off her lips, he pulled her close for a deep kiss. When they broke apart Kaoru was quite flushed, but no longer embarrassed. In a rich voice he said, "Here's the part of cooking were we find something exciting to do while it bakes."

Kaoru thought she might like this part of cooking.


	9. Chapter 9

Sorry this took a while to post. The site wasn't letting me upload for some reason.**  
**

**Disclaimer:** All standard disclaimers apply: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, I make no money off this work, etc. Characters of Rurouni Kenshin are the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki.

**Warning:** This work contains references to adult material. This chapter has be CUT to meet this sites guidelines. About two paragraphs have been removed to stay within the M rating. The material cut contained explicit depictions of sex. I have used … to indicated a place where part of the story has been removed.

The FULL VERSION of this chapter is posted at www. Mediaminer. org under the same title and author name.

**Author's Note:** Here's my response to those concerned with my portrayal of Megumi. First, it's been quite some time since I've seen the anime or read the manga, so my perceptions of her maybe misremembered or overly influence by her fanfiction characterization. I do agree that Megumi is a very liberal woman and I don't think she has any issues with sex outside of marriage, or even sex in general. However, I do see her as a some what manipulative woman – not to put her down, but to recognize that she always wants to improve her condition, that's she's looking out for herself and how she can get ahead. As such, I don't see her supporting 'friends with benefits', since she would be simple trading sex for pleasure. IMO, Megumi feels that she can use sex to get more than just pleasure. I'm not trying to make her sound like a prostitute, but more recognition that she can use sex as a tool. I also envision Megumi as a bit harsh with Kaoru, a lack of patience with Kaoru naivety, or exasperation at Kaoru not perceiving the hard reality of the world that Megumi sees. It's quite possible that this an inaccurate portrayal of her, or that I didn't accurately convey her in my writing. But that's where I'm coming from.

&&&&&&&&&&

Kaoru looked up from her book when she heard the knock on the door. Glancing at the clock as she rose from the couch, she frowned. Who would be visiting at 11pm? Even Kenshin rarely stopped by after nine.

Looking through the peephole she was surprised, but secretly a bit delighted to see her favorite red head slouched against the doorframe, with a large paper bag resting next to him. She hadn't seen or heard from Kenshin in almost a week, since he apparently had a bunch of events at work lately. She had left a message for him yesterday, confirming they would meet at the gym tomorrow, but hadn't gotten a response.

Opening the door, she grinned "Hey there stranger. What brings you by so late at night?" Her smile faded some as she noted the dark circles under his eyes and the fatigue that pervaded his entire being. She pulled him inside and grabbed the bag from the floor.

Kenshin blinked tiredly. He hadn't much thought about the time, he had just wanted to see her and feel her against him again. The various parties and catered events for a bunch of big shots this week had worn him out.

Kaoru shook her head, locking the door. "You look exhausted. Long day at work?"

"Long week at work," Kenshin corrected. "But the events are finally over. There's leftovers in the bag."

Kaoru sigh putting the food away. "I know I can't cook, but you really didn't need bring this over. Not that I don't appreciate it, but you should have just gone home to bed."

"Sorry." He rubbed the back of his head. "Returning you message, that yes, I'll be your gym partner for tomorrow?" he tried, his eyes wide.

Kaoru looked at him. She had missed him, both personally and physically, this past week. Even though he was clearly asleep on his feet, she was glad to see him. "Off to bed with you. I haven't touched your toothbrush, though it may have collected dust in your absence."

Kenshin smiled tiredly as went to follow her directions. He was glad she seemed to have missed him as well.

She slept curled up around him that night. He was clearly out to the world, but she still savored his warm presence in her bed. She told herself that she just needed the physical companionship.

When Kaoru awoke that morning, Kenshin was still deep asleep. It was rare that she got up before him. She quietly slipped out of bed, careful not to wake him. She'd have her coffee and sample those leftovers he had supplied last night.

Having finished her coffee, the paper, and a few too many of those stuffed triangular pastries (she liked the cheese ones more than the spinach), Kaoru cocked her head. She thought she might have heard Kenshin stirring. She hoped so anyway, since she didn't want to disturb him, but she really needed a shower and her bathroom plumbing tended to be quite noisy.

Deciding that it was late enough, and if he really needed the sleep he'd likely sleep through the noise, Kaoru went to take her shower.

Shed had already washed her hair and had just finished shaving, when her bathroom door opened to admit a boxer clad redhead. He quickly stripped off his boxers and slipped into the shower with her, causing her to squeak with surprise.

His arms went around her as he nuzzled her neck.

She swatted at him irritably and tried to turn around. "What do you think you're doing invading my shower! I'm naked here, you know."

Kenshin gave a throaty chuckle, tightened his hold and slide one hand up to fondle her breast. "I've seen you naked before Kaoru. In fact, I've done more than see…" He nibbled at her ear and increased his caresses.

Kaoru bit her lip, torn between irritation at his presumptuous invasion of her privacy and the rising desire in her blood. It had been more than a week since they had last fucked and her body was informing her that it didn't want to wait any longer.

Kenshin grabbed some bath gel to make his hands slide even more provocatively over her breasts and teased the sensitive spot along the side of her throat with his tongue. "It's been a while since I've had you Kaoru. You weren't in bed when I woke up." He pouted. "You know how much I like morning sex. You must agree it is a great way to start off the day."

It was true that Kenshin seem to have a penchant for morning sex. In the four months or so that this benefits arrangement had been going on, Kaoru could count on one hand the number of times he had slept over and not fucked her in the morning. From super quickies on mornings they were running late to longer sessions filling up lazy Saturday mornings, Kenshin certainly knew how to wake a girl up. They had even used her kitchen table when she had unthinkingly entered the kitchen nude one morning while Kenshin was making breakfast. So this mornings antics weren't that surprising, all things considered.

Kaoru's annoyance rose along with the heat in her blood however. She wasn't the kind of girl to let herself be seduced in the shower. Or so she told herself. The extra moisture between her legs seemed to be saying something different. She wasn't going to let him get away with being busy for a week and then invading her shower and expecting have his way with her without even so much as a good morning. No. If they were going to fuck (and they were damn well going to) then she was going to be the one on top, so to speak.

Before Kenshin's hand sliding down her belly could reach its mark and distract her, she spun around, the slickness of the bath gel loosening his hold on her. Putting her hands on his chest she pushed him back against the tile.

"I thinking your forgetting just whose shower this is," she growled. Pressing her self against him, she could feel the heat of his cock against her belly. She reached up with one hand to pull him down for a hard, burning kiss, while raking her nails across his chest and shoulders with her other hand.

Lightly biting his lips before thrusting her tongue in his mouth, she poured all of her frustration and aggression into the kiss. She wasn't sure who she was more annoyed at – him for being gone a week, or herself for missing him this badly. She was starting fear how much him ending this arrangement would hurt.

She ran her hand down his thigh and the firmly cupped his ass, rubbing her breasts against him. The faint remnants of suds on her chest had her reaching for the bath gel. No reason not to get her hands all over him… err get him clean. Kenshin shifted forward as she soaped up her hands. Kaoru shot him a hard look that made him lean back against the wall with a curious smile and heat in his gaze.

Kaoru proceeded to wash him, sliding her hands and the gel over his body. Her light touch across his chest had him twitching. Her teasing actions as she made sure his inner thighs were well washed made him groan. When her hands moved up to finish the job, he closed his eyes and clenched his jaw. The tightness of his balls made her grin devilishly.

She stopped. "There. All done." His eyes flew open, taking in her smirking face. "Time to rinse you off now." He grimaced and then quickly ran the water over his body, washing away the last of the suds. Turning towards hers, he reached out.

She thrust a bottle in his hand. "Shampoo."

Kenshin glared at her and took some, before giving the bottle back. Kaoru looked at him wide eyed, setting the bottle down. Sighing, he suds his hair and bent back to rinse it out.

Once he closed his eyes, her gaze dropped to his crotch. Though not as hard and throbbing as before, he was still pleasantly erect. She licked her lips and then dropped to her knees. She had him in her mouth before he had stopped rinsing his hair. All thoughts of conditioner flew from his head as she tugged gently on his balls.

…

The water went cold, causing Kenshin to suddenly open his eyes. Seeing Kaoru rubbing herself made him groan. He pulled her away, "This is not how we're finishing this." She yelped as the now cold water sprayed her. He quickly turned the water off, and turn to find her leaving the shower. Damn. He would have been happy to take her against the tile.

She handed him a towel and began to dry herself off. "Showers really aren't comfortable for that sort of thing" she grinned.

He gave her a smoldering look. "Your bath mat looks soft and fluffy, it will work fine" he said in rich voice, taking both their towels and tossing them aside.

"In that case, you can lay on it," Kaoru replied, not willing to relinquish control. She gave him a shove. He pulled her close, kissing her lips, then her breasts, then her belly, before laying back on the rug. Kaoru admired his naked form, her tongue peeking out between her lips. She was so absorbed in the contours of his chest, she missed the way his eyes flashed gold. Kaoru hoped he had been punished enough for his absence, because she couldn't wait any longer. Straddling him, she thrust him inside her, savoring his heat.

…She moaned as Kenshin completed a few more thrusts, triggering more sensations within her as he came.

Gasping she layer against him, his arms wrapped loosely around her. They laid there resting, listening to each others heartbeat return to normal. Kenshin stroked her hair. "Feeling a bit frisky today, are we Kaoru?" he said, grinning. She swatted him playfully, blushing, and slowly rose. Morning sex really was a great way to start the day.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** All standard disclaimers apply: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, I make no money off this work, etc. Characters of Rurouni Kenshin are the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki.

**Warning:** This work contains references to adult material.

**Author's Note:** For those having issues with mediaminer. org: That website often loads an old version into the browser. With most browsers you can force a fresh reload by holding down control while you click the reload button. This should make the newest version of the story appear.

&&&&&&&&&&

Kenshin cleared the remains of food from the table while Kaoru loaded the dishwasher. When he finished, he got mugs out of the cupboard to make cocoa. Kaoru noticed his actions and bit her lip. This far into their arrangement, what more could he want to discuss?

"So there's something I've been meaning to talk with you about." Kenshin began, as he handed her a mug and walked over to the couch.

Kaoru's stomach tightened with worry. In her experience these types of conversations were rarely good. She sat down next to him, noting the tension in his shoulders as well. Not a good sign.

Kenshin fidgeted briefly with his mug, before taking a sip and continuing. "With the holidays approaching, I get a number of invitations to various parties and such. Some from my uncle, some from connections at work. Unfortunately I'm expected to attend quite a few of these affairs. Most of the time, a date is considered mandatory."

Kenshin stopped and drank some cocoa. Kaoru could feel a heaviness settle on her chest and a sinking feeling in her stomach. He was obviously trying to end their arrangement, since if he was going on that many dates he'd no doubt find a better bed partner than her. She had suspected that when this arrangement ended, she wouldn't be happy. But she hadn't thought it would hurt this much. Pulling into herself, she clutched at her cocoa, hoping she wouldn't cry.

Kenshin shifted uneasily, not yet noticing her distress. "I know those sorts of things aren't much fun and can get tiresome. It really helps to have a good companion with you. So," he paused and took a breath, "would you mind being my date?"

He then looked at Kaoru and noticed something was wrong. "Hey, Kaoru," he said, reaching out to set their mugs on the coffee table. "What's wrong? If you don't want to go, just tell me." He made a face. "There's no need to get all stressed about it." He put an arm around her a pulled her close.

Kaoru relaxed slightly in his embrace as she processed what he said. He wasn't trying to end their arrangement, which was a relief. He thought her a good companion and wanted her presences at some boring functions. For some reason that wasn't quite as comforting as it should have been. She snuggle more into his chest, inhaling his scent, and tried to relax.

Kenshin stroked her hair, concerned. Feeling her relax and rest against him, he said, "Kaoru, honey, tell me what's wrong."

Kaoru struggled to sit up, her cheeks slightly red. Biting her lip, she mumbled, "it's not important."

"Tell me." Looking softly at her, he whispered, "Please?"

Kaoru shifted uncomfortably. Curse him for those eyes. She sighed and looked away. "I just thought you were ending our arrangement and I wasn't quite ready for it." Her blush darkened.

Kenshin pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. He felt quite warm and happy inside, but managed to keep the grin off his face. Not quite knowing how to respond, he hugged her close for a moment.

After a while he asked, "Does this mean you'll be my date?"

Kaoru sighed. "I suppose, but I really don't have anything appropriate to wear."

Kenshin grinned. "We can go dress shopping this afternoon."

Kaoru groaned and then peered up at him. "Have you ever been dress shopping? It's really not that much fun."

"I think watching you parade around in fancy clothes seems like a fine way to spend the day. Besides, if I'm going to be paying for the dresses I should at least get to help pick them out."

Kaoru sputtered. "What do you mean paying for them?! I can buy my own dress…"

Kenshin cut her off, calmly stating "Kaoru, you're accompanying me to these events as a favor. I really can't let you buy clothes just for them as well."

Kaoru glared at him.

He sighed. "If it makes you feel better, I'll keep the clothes afterwards. But I really don't have use for women's dresses." He looked at her and grinned. "I guess I could always try my hand at cross-dressing."

She giggled. "I don't think you're quite my size."

"Then you'll accept the dresses from me?"

Frowning, Kaoru nodded hesitantly. She probably couldn't afford the type of dresses necessary for these events anyway, especially not if she had to wear something different to each one. "But I pay for the shoes myself," she added, trying to keep some control of the situation. Besides, if she was buying the shoes she could make sure to get ones that were at least somewhat comfortable, regardless of what Kenshin thought of them.

Kenshin looked for a moment like he was going to argue, but then nodded. "Well then, let's go." A sly smile settled on his face. "And when we get back, I'll prove to you that our arrangement is still in effect."

Kaoru blushed slightly at the thoughts his comment brought up. At least this was more incentive than the ice cream Misao always promised after shopping trips. As Kenshin walked to the door she noted his firm ass. A much better incentive, indeed.

&&&&&&&&&&

Kenshin hung up his jacket and began to put away his dress clothes. They had just finished the last of the formal events he had to attend. He had sent Kaoru off to shower, knowing she would appreciate the opportunity to wash the gunk out of her hair and to remove her make up. He set out some of his comfy clothes for her to change into, and then headed to the kitchen.

They had ended up at his place this time, partial because it was closer and partially because he had been thinking about the rice pudding in his fridge, which made him drive home with out consciously thinking about it.

He put some milk on the stove to make hot cocoa and turned to get the pudding out of the refrigerator. He really needed to talk with Kaoru about where their relationship was heading. Well, more accurately, to convince her to officially have a relationship with him. He was still amazed that after all this time, she assumed their relationship was just a typical friends with benefits arrangement.

Serving up the rice pudding, he set out a dish for each of them and got out the mugs. Hearing Kaoru coming, he finished seasoning the cocoa with a bit of cinnamon and poured them each a mug.

She entered the room, stretching, his boxers barely staying on her hips. She smiled tiredly at him, sat down and began to rub her feet.

"No matter what they say, there is no such thing as comfortable heels." Kaoru complained. "Damn my feet hurt."

Kenshin grimaced in sympathy and sat down beside her. "Here let me," he said, taking a foot in his lap and rubbing it.

"Mmmm" Kaoru moaned. "Feels great." She sat there for a while with her eyes closed, savoring the massage. After a while she opened them and noticed the snack in front of her.

Tasting her drink, she raised an eyebrow. "So what did you want to talk about?"

Kenshin switched feet, rubbing a bit before answering. He took a deep breath. "I'd like to take you out on real date. Something fun, not like these formal events."

Kaoru blinked at him, trying to process what he said. _He was asking her out?_

"What do you say? Can I take you out next Friday?" Kenshin asked with a tight smile.

Kaoru hesitated. A date? Dating leads to expectations, which leads to problems. He really wanted to take her on a date? The though made her feel warm and worried all at once. Dating Kenshin was something she had never really let herself think about. They had an arrangement, not a relationship. Why would he want to take her out? He was already getting sex…

She bit her lip, but nodded. Kenshin let out a sigh of relief.

"Hey don't look so tense. There's nothing to worry about. It's just a date. We go out, have fun. No pressure involved. And if you don't have fun, next time I ask, you turn me down. Simply as that." Kenshin said.

Kaoru smiled and relaxed a bit. It wouldn't hurt to give it a try. One date wasn't that big a deal, right?

"Now drink your cocoa before it gets cold. There are other parts of your body I'm looking forward to massaging tonight."

&&&&&&


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** All standard disclaimers apply: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, I make no money off this work, etc. Characters of Rurouni Kenshin are the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki.

**Warning:** This work contains references to adult material.

**Author's Note:** We're in the homestretch, only one or two more chapters to go. However, I decided I wanted to revise the ending a bit more, so the next update might take a bit longer than previous ones. I hope to get it done this weekend, but no promises. Should be up sometime next week for sure, though.

&&&&&&&

They had just finished their first real date and were walking up to her apartment. Kaoru had to admit that it hadn't been as awkward as she had expected. Kenshin had insisted on paying for dinner, but since he had taken her to a hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant, she figured it was okay. The food had been excellent; Kenshin clearly knew what to order from their poorly translated and undescriptive menu.

After dinner, he took her to a club to go dancing. While Kaoru had danced with Kenshin multiple times before, tonight it was a bit different. He danced closer, his focus more intense, his movements teasingly seductive. While he never crossed the line into sexual overtures, she could feel the difference in his attitude; this was not just friendly dancing. And she secretly admitted to herself that she like the attention.

She certainly had fun and enjoyed the date, but the nervousness returned to her belly as she opened her door. She never had been any good at the end of date conversation and this preexisting arrangement with Kenshin seem like it would only complicate things.

"Hey," he said softly, lifting her chin and looking into her eyes. "I had a great time with you tonight."

"Me too." Kaoru bit her lip.

Kenshin grinned. "Does this mean you'll go out with me again tomorrow night? Grace me with your presence for a second date?"

She nodded. Looking delighted, Kenshin whispered, "Thank you," as he slowly leaned in to kiss her lips. The languid, sensual movements of his tongue in her mouth reawoke the fire in her that the dancing started. Forgetting they were still on her doorstep, she tangled her hands in his hair, her body flush against him. His hand moved to cup her ass, while the other trailed down her throat, caressed her collarbone then stroked the side of her breast.

Kaoru was lost in the familiarity of his body and the heat of the moment when the opening of a door and jingling of keys startled her. She pulled back to see her neighbor taking his dog out for a late night walk. He gave her a quirked look and a jaunty wave before heading out.

The interruption served to give Kaoru a chance to collect her thoughts. Well to at least assess what she was doing. Making out at her open door like a college kid was not how she ended dates. Much less first dates.

Kaoru cursed herself for her own dating standards. Thrusting her hormones asides, she looked up at Kenshin. "Thank you for the date. It was a lot of fun. I'll see you tomorrow."

He cocked his head at her and raised an eyebrow. She flushed.

"I don't sleep with guys on the first date," she said.

A small grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. He nodded politely and said, "well then, may I wish you good night." He backed up, and gestured to her door

She smiled, went in. Looking at him one more time she closed the door. Then she proceeded to slide down the wall and bit her lip in frustration at the sexual tension that flooded her body. It was going to be a long night.

Perhaps a minute or two later there was knock at the door. She opened it to find Kenshin standing there with mischief in his eyes.

"So," he said in a coy voice. "Tell me all about your date. What did you think of him? Did you have fun? Are you going to go out with him again?"

Kaoru let out a laugh and shut the door behind him.

Kenshin continued, looking at her in a mock sober manner. "Be honest now, did you have sex with him?"

Still laughing, Kaoru shook her head. Then she let out a squeal of surprise as Kenshin picked her up and carried her down the hall.

"Good. That way our arrangement is still in effect." Kenshin declared, making his way to the bedroom. "I know a great way to spend the night."

Kaoru didn't answer. She was too busy kissing his neck and working her hands under his shirt. No cold shower for her tonight.

&&&&&&&

Dates with Kenshin were very enjoyable and surprisingly pressure free. Kaoru had half expected the social pressure to dress up, conform, and be polite to take some of the fun out of them. Instead, the dates felt very comfortable, similar to their outings as friends. The main difference seemed to be Kenshin's physical presence. He sat a little closer, held her hand, and gave other cues that signaled she was with him. It wasn't enough to make him seem possessive, but being the object of his focused stirred something inside her.

At the end of their fifth date, instead of doing the 'leave and come back' thing that Kenshin had been doing, he simple went to her kitchen and made cocoa. Watching him gave Kaoru butterflies in her stomach. She knew at some point things would have to change, and given his intense attention on her that evening, he wasn't making cocoa in order to end things with her. Which meant he wanted a relationship. A real relationship.

Kaoru bit her lip and waited for him to begin. He sipped his cocoa briefly and then looked into her eyes.

"I think you know where I am going with this. I'd like to make things official, end the arrangement and start a relationship." he said. "How does that sound to you?"

Kaoru gnawed at her lip. It sounded great, in most respects. But she liked things as they had been and wasn't sure how things would change. Looking into his loving eyes she tried to convey all the worries and fears that she couldn't seem to put in to words.

He reached out to stroke her cheek, and rubbed his thumb over her lip, pulling it away from her teeth.

"Kaoru," he sighed. "Nothing important will change. You can still argue with me, send me home, tickle me mercilessly. I don't want you to change. I'll still cook for you and do your laundry – not because you can't or to smother you, but because I care about you. The only thing that changes is that I expect you to turn down any dates or propositions you get from other guys."

A small smiled slipped passed Kaoru's lips.

"Thing you can handle that?" he asked.

Kaoru nodded. "Though I think there's a bit more to relationships than your letting on."

He cocked his head and raised an eyebrow. "Most people would say we've been in a relationship for a while now. Did you really think that we had a typical benefits arrangement?"

Kaoru flushed. "Hey, I don't know much about those sorts of things. I trusted you to arrange it appropriately."

Kenshin looked down into his cocoa and took a deep breath. "To be honest, I've been pursuing you from the beginning. But you needed space and weren't ready for a relationship. I've been hoping to gradually move the arrangement into something more."

Kaoru stared at him. "Really?" He nodded.

"Huh. I guess Misao was right," she said. "Don't tell her I said that."

Kenshin looked seriously at her, "So you're all right with this?"

She nodded smiling. If what they had been doing so far was his take on beginning a relationship, she had nothing to worry about. Well, except for telling Misao, but that was a whole separate issue.

Looking at him slyly she said, "Well then I guess we're at the point where I allow you to sleep here tonight."

A grin broke over his face as to stood up to lead her to the bedroom. Sleep was not in his plan for the night.

&&&&


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** All standard disclaimers apply: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, I make no money off this work, etc. Characters of Rurouni Kenshin are the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki.

**Warning:** This work contains references to adult material.

**Author's Note:** Well this is it. I decided to go for one longer chapter instead of two short ones. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the story, I appreciate all your comments. Hope you enjoy the ending.

&&&&&&&&&&

Kaoru looked up from the computer and smiled. She had just finished reading Misao's rather long and rambling email. Her bubbly personality even came through in her letters. The basic gist of her letter was that she had finally gotten Aoshi into bed. Apparently it had reached the point where Misao flat out asked him if he was celibate or gay. His negative response was met with a quirk of an eyebrow and he seemed to entirely miss the point of her questions and response. However, at their next stop he casually suggested they share a room, to help ease her budget. That was enough encouragement for Misao and she had jumped him that night. He was quite good in bed, according to Misao's excessive descriptions. Kaoru had made some mental notes while reading it for things to try with Kenshin.

Thinking about Kenshin reminded Kaoru of her slight problem of how to inform Misao that she and Kenshin were dating. Since she had neglected to mention when he first asked her out, such a news would come as a shock to Misao and no doubt bring a lecture on keeping her best friend in the dark and prying questions into their sex life. On the plus side, Kaoru felt she likely could avoid telling Misao about their previous arrangement. That was one conversation avoided at least.

Kaoru braced her self, trying to figure out a way to write this email. She stared blankly for a while, before glancing at the clock. She sighed in relief. The email would have to wait for another day. Her date with Kenshin definitely took priority, she thought with a grin. Misao would agree with her on that. Probably. If she were ever to find out. She was so screwed…

Biting her lip, Kaoru sent off a quick missive to Misao, before she could back out:

Congrats! Enjoy yourself. No time for a real response – have a date!

Giggling to herself she hit send. At least she could drive Misao crazy a bit before bringing her wrath down upon herself. Kaoru wondered how long she could drag this out. She figured she might be able to get a few weeks, given that Misao would likely have spotty net access in the region they were planning on backpacking though.

Looking at the time, Kaoru yelped and hurried away. Time to test Kenshin's claim that he really didn't care what she wore on dates. And perhaps afterwards she could try that technique Misao had described. Fun should be had by all.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Kaoru looked at her computer and shifted uncomfortably. Her spur of the moment impulse to tease Misao by only giving out piecemeal information about her date had worked well. Misao's current travel itinerary had made email the only real way of communicating lately, since time zones and schedules had basically ruled out any real time contact. Which meant there was no way for Misao to pin her down as to exactly who she was dating. She had been slowly giving of bits of info with each letter, but since the emails had slowed to one a week, that didn't add up to much. While remote mountain monasteries might have inspiring views and interesting architecture, they usually didn't carry high speed internet access.

Still, it had come to the point where Kaoru was starting to feel quite guilty about leading Misao on. She and Kenshin had been officially together for almost a month now and she had only told Misao that she'd been on a few dates. Granted she had (eventually) admitted they were all with the same person, and that Misao knew this guy. However, it was past the time to come clean to Misao. Moreover, Kaoru would really like to have her best friend to talk to about relationship things and give advice. After all, Kenshin's birthday was next month and Kaoru had no clue what sort of gift would be appropriate. Next email, she promised herself, she would completely answer all of Misao's questions and explain the situation.

&&&&&&&&&&&&

Kaoru laid in bed early that morning, contemplating last night. Thankfully Kenshin wasn't awake yet, so she had a bit of time to think. She was really regretting not having told Misao about their relationship – having someone to talk things over with would be nice.

It wasn't that anything was wrong. In fact, things were going well. It was just that last night Kenshin had used the L-word. And she believed him. He hadn't made a big deal about saying it – she wasn't even sure if he realized what he said. He just murmured it softly during their post-sex cuddle, right before he drifted off to sleep.

He loved her. And it wasn't a scary earth shattering pronouncement that she thought it would be. It felt natural, comforting even. Kenshin's sort of love wasn't stifling or controlling. He simply accepted her for herself and tried to encourage and support her. She wouldn't say things were perfect, like some sort of magical soul connection. They definitely argued at times, but it felt good. She was free to express her opinions and disagreements and he listened. He didn't always change his mind, but he didn't belittle her points either. Kaoru definitely realized that her previous relationships were not even close to what Kenshin considered to be a loving relationship.

And, she finally admitted to herself, she did love him. It had taken a bit of self-evaluation that morning to acknowledge it, but it was true. His caring nature and patient advances had healed many of the fears left by her ex-boyfriends. She may not be completely worry free about where their relationship was headed, but Kenshin's love and care would help smooth the way.

Kaoru closed her eyes and snuggled against Kenshin's dozing form to snooze a bit. She nuzzled his neck briefly and whispered, "I love you," as she relaxed into a light sleep. A gentle smile blossomed upon Kenshin's face and he held her closer.

&&&&&&&&

She and Kenshin were actively not watching the movie when the pounding on the door started. The knocking was quite incessant, so when Kaoru finally went to answer the door, she was irritated along with disheveled. Her frustration was likely what caused her to throw open the door without peaking to see who it was first. When she did, she stared in shock.

"Misao?!"

"Took you forever to answer your door." Misao said, pushing her way into the apartment and dropping her bags on the floor. "What ever were you doing?" she asked.

Kaoru flushed.

Taking note of her appearance, Misao grinned. "Oh, never mind, I think I know exactly what you were doing." Looking around the apartment she spotted Kenshin.

"Hey Kenshin. So it was you Kaoru's been hiding. I told her that you were interested in her and that the two of you should date."

Kaoru shut the door and dragged Misao to the table. "What are you doing here? I thought you were in Bulgaria or Romania or something."

Misao sat down and put her feet up. "Do you have anything to eat? I came right from the airport, and you know how airline food is these days."

Kaoru looked impatient, but Kenshin answered before she could respond. "I'll heat something up for you, Misao, so the two of you can catch up."

"Thank you Kenshin, that's very thoughtful of you." Misao replied.

Kaoru waited a moment, but when Misao failed to continue, she ground out, "Well?"

Misao looked up at her with a falsely innocent expression. "Well what?"

"Are you going to answer my question?"

"Hmmm" Misao said. "You mean like how you answered all my questions in the emails I sent you?"

Kaoru winced and flushed.

"I mean, I thought I was your best friend. That you would keep in touch with me on my trip, keep me up to date."

Kaoru flinched and slumped into a chair.

"But no. A few teasing hints, some cryptic remarks, my questions ignored -- hey some of my messages even went unanswered." Misao continued, venting, "And how do I find out that you've clearly been dating Kenshin -- for who knows how long – by practically walking in on you making out, no less."

Misao looked hard at Kaoru, who hung her head with shame. "I mean how hard is it to drop me a line saying 'I'm dating Kenshin, you were right, it's a great match.'"

Feeling guilty, Kaoru looked away. In a quiet voice she said, "I'm sorry Misao. You're right. I should have told you about Kenshin. I shouldn't have hid the information from you, dodged your questions and avoided the issue. I haven't been a very good friend lately."

Misao came over and hugged her. "It's okay, I forgive you. I haven't been around to be the kind of best friend you probably needed."

Kaoru reached out to hug her back. "Thank you. I am sorry. I'll be more honest in the future."

The girls embraced for a few moments. When they sat back down again, Kenshin entered bearing a tray of food and some cocoa.

Misao looked up. "Oh yum, this looked delicious Kenshin."

Kenshin smiled. "Thank you Misao, it's nothing fancy, just some stuff on hand."

Misao shook her head, "I don't believe it. I've lived with Kaoru before and the stuff she keeps on hand usually reads 'Just add water'."

"Hey!" Kaoru exclaimed

"Her fridge is more well stocked these days. I've been making good use of the kitchen equipment you left here. While I'm glad to see you back, I must say I'll be sorry to see it go."

Misao shifted a bit. "Well you see, the thing is, I'm really only back for a month or so."

Startled they looked at her.

She continued, at a slightly faster pace. "See Aoshi's sister, Omasu, is graduating in a week. Graduating from college that is, she's a few years younger than him. And he felt it was very important to attend her graduations. Which is totally understandable, since both their parents are dead, so he's really the only close family she has." Misao took a breath.

"So why are you back?" Kaoru asked, a bit confused at the explanation.

"Well we came back a week early, so that we wouldn't be totally jetlagged through the ceremony. I stopped here to see people and get some of my stuff and to give Aoshi time alone with his sister. I'll meet up with them in a few days."

Kaoru and Kenshin looked at her, waiting.

At an even faster clip, Misao spoke. "We'll stay there for a few days, to help Omasu pack her stuff and move to her new place. Then we'll be coming back here for about week, so Aoshi can meet everyone. After that it's off-to-vegas-to-get-married-and-then-to-Turkey-and-the-Middle-East-for-our-honeymoon." Misao finished.

"What!" Kaoru exclaimed. "You're getting married?" She looked stunned.

Misao ginned, "Yup. In Vegas even, since there's not a whole lot of time to plan a wedding. And besides, it's Vegas, we'll have fun!"

Kaoru still looked dazed. "But what's the rush? You've only known him a few months."

Misao flushed a bit. "Well yeah, but when you're traveling with someone you get to know each other really well. And we want to travel through the mideast"

Kaoru nodded, not really convinced. "So why don't the two of you just continue traveling together?"

"Kaoru, it's the mideast!" Misao exclaimed. "An unmarried couple really can't travel together, it causes problems. And a single female traveling alone isn't looked highly upon either."

"So you're getting married to travel more?" Kaoru asked, not thinking highly of this idea.

"Yes! Well no, not in the way you're suggesting." Misao looked at Kaoru, very serious. "Kaoru, I really love this guy. It's like we were made for each other. If I'm wrong, I'll deal with that latter, but I can't take the chance of letting this slip out of my fingers."

Kaoru calmed a bit, recognizing the gravity with which Misao spoke. "I believe you Misao," she sighed. "But could the two of you wait a year or so before taking this trip?"

Misao flushed a bit and squirmed in her chair. "Well see, technically Aoshi only has about a year before he has work. The terms of his trust fund require him to be working at a real job by the time he turns thirty. He actually has a position lined up, but he wants to use the time he has left to travel before going corporate."

"Trust fund?" Kaoru remarked. "Well that explains how you're honeymoon will be funded."

"I swear I didn't know he was rich until afterwards. He doesn't act like one of those spoilt rich kids." Misao defended.

"I'm sure he doesn't. I look forward to meeting him. I'm just a bit shocked to find out my best friend is getting married all of a sudden!"

Misao looked ready to apologize when she saw the teasing look on Kaoru's face. "Well it's not like I'm the only one who hid things." She paused. "After all, Katamari was the one who told me about your benefits relationship with Kenshin."

Kaoru froze and then put her head in her hands.

Misao continued "And do tell, how did Katamari learn of this?"

Kaoru mumbled something.

"What was that?"

In a tense, embarrassed voice, she said, "I, um, asked him for tips on giving blow jobs."

Kenshin stood, "Perhaps I should let you two have some privacy."

Misao spoke up. "No Kenshin, don't go. Really I think you're a great match for her and I'm glad you took her up on the benefits offer. I was just teasing her. I think taking that approach with her was a great idea. I want to hear all about it."

Kaoru pounded her head softly against the table.

Kenshin walked over to Kaoru and put his arms around her. "Hey, I'll face the music with you. You okay with this?"

Lifting her red face, Kaoru groaned. Time to pay the piper. But it was good to have Misao back, if only for a little while. And she had Kenshin at her side to do the explaining if necessary. She gathered up her mug and headed to the couch for one more cocoa conversation. Things would be alright. And if the teasing go to bad, she could always harp on Misao's secret engagement…

The End.


End file.
